


Hound of Love

by TheUniqueLee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Sheith69min, keith has lacy panties, kosmo is a good dog, prompt:underwear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 23:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16544615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheUniqueLee/pseuds/TheUniqueLee
Summary: Shiro's just moved into a new apartment and meeting his neighbor by way of a huge dog jumping on him was not what he expected.





	Hound of Love

Takashi Shirogane needed a break. He knew that mostly because his best friends and therapist kept yelling it at him. 

Matt thought he needed to be free from anyone who knew him. Allura thought he needed quiet. And Coran, well Coran thought Shiro needed to do something he wanted to do. The issue was mostly that Shiro had no idea what he wanted to do. The last 5 years of his life after his accident had been academia. 

He had lost his arm and his first thought after the physical therapy had been, how quickly he could get his doctorate. The year off had been good for his body. He had gotten into working out, training. His grandfather was rolling in his grave at the thought. All those years Shiro had told him he had no interest in sports or physical activity as a kid. All those missed kendo and naginata and aikido lessons. 

The thought of his grandfather brought a smile to his face as he continued to bring his boxes out of the trunk of his car. He would have thought that Shiro taking a year off for himself would be a good idea. He would say "a man needs time to himself to truly know himself". And it would be advice Shiro would agree with. Which is why he was doing just that.

Academic burnout was destroying him and he hated dealing with that so stepping back was the only true option. He would have a job with Dr. Holt, Matt's father, when he was ready so for now, he could rest and think about what he actually wants to do with the rest of career. Moving to a new town, into a small condo in downtown would be perfect. 

It wasn't super loud, so he was getting the quiet Allura thought he needed without being secluded, which had been his biggest concern and fear. He was nowhere near school so no one would know him here as Matt wanted. And well, he was working on doing what he wanted to appease Coran. 

He packed the last moving box into the cart the condo building had provided him and then threw his duffle bag on top. He closed the trunk and with a nod, he started towards the elevator. He was excited, it was a new beginning. 

He could wake up early and head down to the building's gym, then he could come upstairs and just read for fun all day long. He could catch up on new theories, and papers, and scientific journals he had abandoned to focus on his thesis and the college undergrad students he had been teaching. 

He could call his family weekly again. He had missed talking with his mother and with almost a year of not using it much, his Japanese would be terrible when speaking with her. It was one of her rules, always speak in Japanese when they could. She had been insistent on him not losing his heritage, his culture. 

Akiko had been raised in a Japanese household, the third generation child of immigrants, but never once had the family stopped celebrating who they were. Completely unlike his father, John's side. His father was a 5th generation child and unlike his wife's family, his family had assimilated to a mostly western/ American lifestyle. 

Akiko had grown up on tatami mat floors while John had cherry colored hardwood. Akiko had learned kendo, naginata, and aikido, John had learned soccer and football and even hockey and rugby. Akiko spoke Japanese more fluently than English some days, John had barely been able to introduce himself when they first met. 

But, they had been best friends as kids and then childhood sweethearts and had been the only person for each other. Shiro was jealous of his parent's relationship. They had been in love with only each other their whole lives and while the two couldn't be different they almost never fought with each other. They knew what the other one needed and they did all they could to raise Shiro into a good man.

He wished he could experience that. But, he had mostly had terrible relationships. His last one, with his longtime boyfriend Adam had been the heart-breaker. And it was another reason he had thrown himself into his degree and research at the end of his schooling. 

He was now approaching the 2-year mark of their breakup and his heart was no longer frozen or broken or in pain. He could move on, meet someone new. 

Dating was a frightening thought as he was quickly approaching his 30s but at the same time, he wanted love. He wanted to wake up next to someone in the morning, to feel their cold feet on his back. To have them make him coffee and for him to make breakfast. 

Going on vacations together. to the movies. Maybe having a kid together. Or kids. At least getting a dog or a cat. That was one thing Shiro missed most about Adam, his cat, Mischievous. She had been a gorgeous white Persian who did nothing but knock over every cup Shiro had ever owned. He had loved her anyway, even when she had shredded his favorite shirt. 

Maybe he would get the cat this time. This condo allowed pets so there was no reason he couldn't. He had avoided getting one after the breakup because he had wanted to focus. And he had wanted to just cry when he got home. He hadn't been in the mental space to take care of something living then. 

He shook his thoughts from his head as he fumbled with the keypad of his apartment. He still wasn't quite used to having a keypad instead of a metal key or a key card like the campus dorms. It was different. But he steadily forgot how he was supposed to input the combination. 

As he attempted the numbers and then pound sign he heard the bark of a dog and the shout of someone from down the hallway. He turned his head to see a large and fluffy black dog with something in its mouth bounding towards him. 

"Get back here you little furball." said the person, their eyes in a glare as they looked at the dog.

Instead of stopping the dog seemed to instead jump at Shiro, practically teleporting into him. The sudden force of what had to be an at least 60-pound dog hitting him was enough to knock him over. 

"Oh god, no. Get off the new neighbor!" said the person, Shiro was now assuming to be the dogs' owner. 

He laughed as he rubbed the back of his head, feeling for a bump or a knot. He brought his prosthetic hand from the keypad and instead started petting the large dog.

"Well hi there friendly," he said as the owner came up next to them. 

The dog dropped whatever it had been holding in its mouth and quickly began licking at Shiro's face. It was an affectionate gesture that had Shiro laughing and baby talking the wolf-like creature immediately. 

"Oh you're just a friendly thing aren't you? Yes, you are! Ahaha, look at you. So good at giving loving aren't you? Good doggo, what a good dog."

"I'm sorry about him. I opened the door to let some fresh air in the room after cleaning up and he just bounded out at full speed. Damn brat can be fast when he wants to."

"Oh, a 'he' then. Well, I think he's just a good boy. A good fluffy boy." Shiro answered, rubbing his face in the neck scruff while scratching at the dog's ears. 

"Don't compliment him too much. He won a dog show a few years ago and now all the praise just goes to his head." The owner told him, their violet eyes sparkling in mirth.

"As it should. Because he's such a good dog. Yes, you are. Yes, you are." He got a chuckle from the owner and a woof from the dog before more doggy kisses were put on his face. 

"What's his name?" Shiro asked when the dog had finally stopped licking at Shiro's face and was now just resting his chin on Shiro's shoulder, enjoying the attention given to him. 

The sound of the dog panting and the feeling of being nuzzled by the soft fur brought a smile to Shiro's face. 

"Kosmo with a 'K'."

"A 'K'?"

"My friend's named him. Said he needed to have a 'k' name to match me."

"Oh. So you're a...Kevin?" Shiro tried.

"Hell no!" they snorted. "Keith. Keith Kogane. I live in apartment 609 down the hall, by the lobby elevator."

"Takashi Shirogane. Shiro. Male." he said, extending his prosthetic hand. If Keith was weirded out by the detached mentally controlled hand, they didn't show it. And then Shiro realized what he had said as he noticed Keith's eyebrow raise.

"I mean..." he fumbled out. "That was a terrible way to state my pronouns. Sorry about that." 

Keith snorted again before flat out laughing. Shiro thought it was a nice sound. 

"He/him for me too," Keith said around his laughter. 

"Ok, good. uhh, I mean thanks, thanks for telling me. Hoo boy Shiro shut up now." He couldn't believe what a fool of himself he was making. 

"No no no. keep talking. You're doing great. Really making a good impression."

"How about I go back to petting and complimenting your dog instead?" Shiro suggested.

"That works too." Keith laughed.

But as Shiro went to pet Kosmo some more the dog batted his head against Shiro's face, gave another lick and then walked over to Keith. 

"Oh did you have all of your fun now? Caused enough trouble for the new neighbor?"

He got a small bark and lick at his hand as his answer. 

"Seems he's ready to go," Shiro said, standing up. 

In doing so, the thing that had been in Kosmo's mouth had dropped to the floor. 

"Oh, don't want to forget this," Shiro told him, picking it up.

He felt what was in his hand and unfolded it enough to recognize it as a pair of lacy black panties, complete with a little red bow on the front. 

Keith quickly grabbed them from Shiro's hand's as Shiro turned a particular shade of red.

"Oh..I..uh..I mean-" Shiro stuttered. That was more of your neighbor then you expect to know during a first meeting.

"You didn't see those. Let's just-"

"It's ok, I mean. Should probably get those back to your girlfriend. She must be angry at him" Shiro tried to placate.

Keith was quiet a moment, his own face turning a few shades darker.

"No girlfriend," he said finally, turning his head to face Shiro again.

"Oh." was Shiro's answer. He licked his lips, finding them suddenly dry. "Are they, yours then?"

"Seeing as I'm single and have been for quite a few years, yeah." There was no defensiveness to his words. And barely any bitterness at the fact either. 

"I can understand that. Sometimes you gotta buy yourself something fun." Shiro told him.

"'Understand'? A guy like you?" Keith questioned, a look of skepticism on his face as he smirked.

"Like me?" Shiro couldn't believe he was doing this.

"You know, built like a tree and so far, pretty much a good guy if maybe a dork."

"Dork?"

"Oh yeah. Anyone who baby talks a wolf-dog like that is a dork."

Shiro laughed. "I'll have you know, I've been out of the dating scene a while too. and, if Kosmo has the time to rifle through my own stuff-" he pointed to his cart of boxes "he'll find my own pair sexy lingerie as well, so I can't say much about yours. Sometimes a guy just wants to feel nice."

Keith smiled before playing with a lock of his hair, tucking it behind his ear before petting Kosmo's head and neck.

"I...uh..." Shiro started before rubbing his neck and taking a breath. "It's my first day in town and after I get all this stuff unpacked I won't want to cook. Any chance you'd be willing to show me a nice to place to eat dinner at? Maybe even have it with me?"

Keith smiled, allowing just the faintest hint of his sharp canines visible. 

"How about instead of going out you come over to my place for dinner. That is if you like curry?"

"Love it," Shiro answered quickly. he'd be embarrassed about it later.

"Good, stop over around 7, should be just about done then," Keith said turning with a click of his tongue at Kosmo to get the dog to follow. 

"Sounds good," Shiro said, turning back to his door. 

"Oh, it's two pound signs and then the code. In case you didn't know. It tripped me up when I moved here."

Shiro laughed, pressing the buttons. 

"Thanks."

**Author's Note:**

> I finally participated in sheith69min challenge and of course, I made the "underwear" prompt flirty and fluffy.  
> Feel free to follow me on my [tumblr](https://uniqueleewritten.tumblr.com/) or on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/TheUniqueLee) and feel free to check out my other stuff as well on my [carrd](https://theuniquelee.carrd.co/)


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